Under Pressure
by Kristen Loves You
Summary: Riley Jones has finally made it to Senior Drum Major. She thinks that this year will be her best, but then someone comes in and turns her world upside down. Please R&R!
1. Newbies and Boners

I walked into Gilbert's office and handed him a cup of coffee from Starbucks that I had gotten on the way

" Thank you, Ms. Jones." He handed me a 10 bill.

"I hope that pays for yours as well."

"Yeah, it's all good."

"So…we have a new guy." He said.

"A newbie?"

"Yes, Mr. Evan Mason just moved here from Seattle. He's going to be a senior, says he was in marching band at his old school. Just signed up yesterday."

"Seattle? The Arizona summer's really gonna kick him in the ass during rehearsals." G laughed.

"What does he play?"

"He's a fellow boner…you two will have loads to talk about. Well, at least I hope you will. I want you to make him feel as welcome as possible, like he belongs here, okay?"

"I can do that."

"So, why don't you go tell everyone the plan?" I nodded.

"Will do, G-Man." Someone knocked on the open door to the office.

"Oh, Evan, come right in! I'd like you to meet someone. This is Riley Jones, she's the senior drum major here at Desert View."

"Hi, Evan." I smiled at him.

"Hey." It was then that I got a good look at Evan. He stood at about 6'0 with light brown hair and electric blue eyes. He was definitely gonna be fun to look at.

"So, go ahead, Riley, lead your band." I smiled and walked out into the band room.

"Hey guys!" I said, firmly.

"Hey, Riley." A few of the guys said back.

"Who's ready for band camp?" Mostly everyone in the room cheered.

"So, you should all have your bags on the busses by now, but if you don't worry if you don't, you can do that when we break. So, you guys can go ahead and load the busses! If you guys have any questions, feel free to ask." They all nodded and stood up.

30 minutes later, I finally walked onto Bus 3; the only one with seats available.

"Riley! Sit here!" A few people said. I smiled and began to walk through the aisle. Mr. Gilbert's words rang in my ears.

'Make him feel as welcome as possible, like he belongs here.' I stopped short.

"Can I sit here?" I asked Evan.

"Sure." He said, unenthusiastically. I took the aisle seat next to him. There was awkward silence as the busses began down the road.

"So, where'd you move from?" I asked, making small talk.

"Seattle."

"And you play trombone…? Right?"

"Yep."

"Boners for life!" I said, smirking.

"Look, I know Mr. Gilbert probably told you to make me comfortable or whatever, but I really don't need it."

"He didn't tell me to do anything…" He looked at me.

"Okay, so yes he did, but that's not the only reason. I know what it's like to be the new kid without any friends." We didn't talk for the rest of the bus ride.


	2. The Shit Has Hit The Fan

"Hey Riley, can I please talk to you

"Hey Riley, can I please talk to you?" Mr. Gilbert said.

"Yeah sure." I stood up from my group's lunch table and followed him outside.

"So, of course you know how Melissa said she wasn't going to be able to make it to band camp. Well, she just called saying that she wasn't going to do band at all."

"So, she's not gonna be a Drum Major?"

"No…I'm guessing not."

"Well, that's bad."

"Bad? It's a disaster! We always have three drum majors and then the year I decide to have two, one of them drops out!" I had never seen Mr. Gilbert so stressed out before. His naturally laid-back personality was totally pushed aside.

"Relax, G. We can just have auditions again, put one or even two more drum majors if you want."

"Great idea! Thank you, Riley!" He pulled me into a hug.

"No problem, G. It's what I do." He smiled and walked away to his cabin.

**Three Days Later**

Since time was going by faster than expected, G and I had kicked it into high gear getting together Drum Major auditions. We had spent the past three days administering Drum Major help sessions during the two-hour-long "rest" times (Evan had refused to let me help him). And today, during said rest times, we were holding auditions.

All of the people who had tried out at the start of the summer and a couple of random people who decided to try out on a whim (including Evan).

"Hey everyone!" I said, standing at the head of the cafeteria.

"So, we're having Drum Major tryouts. And since this was such short notice, we're allowing you to have the music present with you to look at as you try out. Any questions?" I looked around the room.

"So, Allison Mitchell; you're up first."

After an hour and a half of auditioning, everyone left the room. I looked over at G.

"So, Allison, Dylan, and Tim are out of the picture…a freshman couldn't handle that kind of responsibility."

"I think the choice is pretty obvious." He said.

"Not necessarily."

"Riley…"

"It's his first year at DV, how can you expect him to learn all the kids names or know how to bring on the Mountain Lion spirit?"

"Evan is good, that's what matters. I think we both know that." I sighed as he wrote the name on a piece of paper.

"Do you wanna post it or should I?" He asked.

"I'll do it." I said, standing up and forcing a smile. I walked outside, taped the paper to the door, and stared at it: Riley Jones and Evan Mason.

"Hey, Riley! Wait up!" I turned around to see Evan following me. I rolled my eyes and continued towards my cabin. He ran up next to me as I opened the door to Blue, my cabin.

"Wait!" He followed me in.

"Thank you for picking me." He said, sincerely.

"I didn't." I said, grabbing a water bottle out of the fridge.

"Well, you had some sort of say." I turned to face him.

"I have worked three years to get where I am right now! And you come sauntering in with your bad personality all like 'Oh, I'd like to be Drum Major too.' La-di-da! You haven't earned it at all!" He leaned in and kissed me: hard. We pulled away and I looked at him.

"That's not how I was expecting the conversation to go." I said, walking into the bunk area.

"Look, just give me a chance, will you?"

"I gave you a chance and you were a total asshole…but, hey! Mr. Drum Major wants a second chance, Mr. Drum Major will get a second chance." I said sarcastically. He smiled, cockily.

"You're cute when you're angry."

"Well, you're definitely not getting a second chance in my cabin, buddy. So goodbye, Evan." He smirked and walked out. I knew exactly how the rest of band camp would work: He'd spend the rest of the week convincing me he was a good guy, while I'd spend the whole week trying to convince myself he wasn't.

**The Next Day**

I walked the long distance to the practice field. I walked over to my group of friends, which included Alyssa (Lizzie), Matt (Marsh), Nick (Posh), Brianna (Becks), and Tyler (T-Rex).

"Ridge!" Matt called out.

"Hey Marshmallow!"

"So, I heard what happened with the new guy." Brianna said.

"Evan? Yeah." I said.

"It sucks, Melissa was good." Nick said.

"Yeah, well, she dropped out, so Evan is what we work with now." I snapped.

"Whoa." Tyler said, surprised.

"Sorry, Posh…he just really gets on my nerves, it's wearing down on me."

"Okay band, let's set up a block, 6 across!" Mr. Gilbert called out. Everyone ran to meet his command. Alyssa didn't move.

"Hey, I need to talk to you later, okay?"

"Yeah, sure." She ran to the back of the block. Mr. Gilbert walked up to me.

"Have you seen Evan?" He asked.

"No, I haven't. We were supposed to meet up here." I answered.

"Go and find him…plans still the same. He's in Green." He said.

"Okey dokey." I walked the long way back to the cabins. I knocked on the door to Green and he eventually answered.

"Hey, sorry I was late, I woke up way late this morning." I nodded.

"You wanna come in?" He asked.

"Sure." I walked in and sat on the couch.

"So, what is it we're supposed to be doing?"

"Getting to know each other." I mocked. He laughed and sat next to me.

"Is this what you always do at band camp?" He asked.

"Every year." He nodded.

Alyssa and I walked into our cabin.

"Hey, Lizzie, what's up?" I asked, sitting on the couch.

"Do you need to talk?" She asked, sitting next to me. I looked away from her.

"No."

"What's going on with Evan?"

"Nothing. Everything's fine." I forced a smile and I could tell she didn't believe me.

"OK." I stood and walked to the bathroom.

"I'm gonna take a shower." I told her.


	3. Understanding The Game

Thanks bunches to Dpbuckeye and FerventxXxMPGirl for the reviews. They're very much appreciated!

**One Month Later**

After we handed out drill to everyone, we went back to the band room to practice our conducting.

"That was really good, Evan, I can tell you've been practicing." He smiled at me. We sat next to each other on the floor. I could feel him looking at me, even though I was looking in the other direction. I turned my head to face him.

"Hey, Ev-" He leaned in and kissed me. I kissed him back for a moment, but then we mutually pulled away.

"Look, Evan…you really are a good guy. You're funny, you're nice, you're cute…" and a really great kisser.

"…but, I think we're better off as friends…friends that don't hit on each other." He sighed.

"OK." I smiled at him.

"Sorry, Ev."

"It's okay, Ridge…what does that even mean?"

"Well, my initials are RIJ, so my friends just started calling me Ridge."

"Ah, got it. Well, if you want to, you could call me Evan, god of sex." I laughed.

"Or Mason." He added.

**The Next Day**

Evan and I walked through the empty band room and sat in the back with the Tuba cases.

"You know what? I could be your wingman!" I said.

"Haha, yeah right."

"No, really. Here, I'll help you find someone. What kind of girl do you like?"

"I don't know."

"Do you like 'em goofy and a little slutty? Then Guard girls are the way to go. Do you like whacky and slightly crazy girls? Then those would be the Flutes. Ooh! How about gossipy, bitchy and a tad bit deranged?"

"Mellophones?" He guessed.

"You got it."

"What about you? Where do you fit in?"

"I think I'm grounded and mellow."

"Those are my favorite…but you forgot to mention funny, outgoing, smart, all-knowing, pleasant to be around, and of course beautiful." He leaned in and kissed me. I pulled away.

"So…at 179, when it goes into 7/4, we really need to practice that part. Ready?" I said, talking quickly and standing up.

"Ridge," He said, smiling.

"Do I make you nervous?" He asked.

"No…why?"

"Because you talk fast when you're nervous…it's a thing you do."

"Well…no…of course you don't make me nervous…so, let's practice."

"Hey, Riley, I'm sorry for making you uncomfortable."

"No, you didn't…it's fine." I sat back down.

**September 28**

"Please welcome the Desert View High School Marching Band!" The announcer said as we took our places on the field. It was our first performance where we were to run the whole show.

"Drum Majors Riley Jones and Evan Mason, is your band ready?" We turned and gave the signal.

I ran to Evan and hugged him. He picked me up and spun me around.

"Oh my gosh! Evan that was amazing!" I said as he set me down. We high-fived each other and quickly walked over to the rest of the band.

"That was a great show, guys! Let's move into the stands!" Mr. Gilbert said.

Evan and I sat together on the same level as Drumline and a row ahead of the Flutes. Tyler came and sat next to me.

"T-Rex!"

"Hey, Ridge."

"Did you have a good show?" I asked him.

"Yeah…that was so amazing." He said, smiling. I smiled back at him, then turned my attention to the game.

"3 years of football games and I still couldn't tell you what's going on." I said, smiling.

"OK, so see our Quarterback has the ball…" Tyler put his arm around my shoulder and pulled me in close so I could understand him. I didn't hear anything he said from that point on.


	4. Ignorance Is Bliss No Longer

Thanks again to Dpbuckeye for reviewing! So, I'm excited because I got 100 hits! Yay! But seriously, if you read it...you should review! Kay? Thanks! OK, here it is...it's not my favorite chapter, but it gets things out that had to be said. Enjoy!

**November 16**

It was 11:30 PM when we loaded the busses after the competition. We began the long ride to our Anaheim hotel. All of us sat together in the back. We sat in three rows: Lizzie and Matt; Tyler and Me; then Posh and Becks behind us. Evan sat by himself in the aisle seat next to me. I looked over Tyler and out the window.

"There's not much you'll be able to see out there."

"Yeah I know…I'm just thinking."

"What about?" I looked up at him.

"Nothing." He smiled and kissed me on the top of the head.

"Goodnight T-Rex."

"Goodnight Ridge." He wrapped his arm around me and I rested my head on his shoulder.

Tyler gently shook me.

"Hey, Riley, we're here." He said, gently.

"What time is it?" I asked, opening my eyes and looking at him.

"7:00." I stretched and smiled at him.

"Yay, got to sleep in." I said, laughing. I looked out the window and saw Disneyland fast approaching.

"I'm excited!" I said, rather loudly.

"Me too! What ride do you wanna go on first?"

"Indiana Jones! Duh!"

"I figured." He said, smiling.

"Well yeah, Harrison Ford was damn sexy in the 70s/80s."

"Yes, 10 years before you were born he was a stud muffin." Lizzie said, turning around.

"Yeah, he's old, but whatev…he's hot."

"OK, guys. Listen up!" Steve, the Drumline instructor, came on over the loudspeaker.

"So, here's the plan. You've all signed up for a room and I'm gonna read off the room list and then the first person on each list, will get the room keys for everyone. Got it?"

"Got it." We all said back.

"So, after you all go to your rooms and drop off your stuff, you'll come back to these seats so we can take roll and then we'll walk over to Disneyland. Any questions? Okay, so…"

I closed the door to our room and bumped into Evan.

"Hey Evan!" He nodded in my direction. He kept walking down the hall, not waiting for me.

"Hey, wait up!" I chased him down and caught him right as the elevator doors opened.

"What's wrong with you?" I asked him. He walked in, but I didn't follow him.

"Nothing." He said, as the doors closed. I sighed and leaned against the wall with my eyes closed. Someone came running down the hall, picked me up, and threw me over their shoulder. I opened my eyes.

"Ty, put me down!"

"Now, why would I want to do that?!" He said, running down the hall.

"I'll never put you down!"

"Well, that's fine. You can just carry me through Disneyland." I said. All of a sudden, he put me down.

"I win." I said, smiling a little.

I stood in line for Splash Mountain with Lizzie. The guys and Brianna had gone to get food for everyone.

"So, what's the deal with you and Evan?" Lizzie asked.

"I honestly don't know…one day he likes me and the next he's ignoring me and being rude. And then there's this whole thing with Tyler." She sighed.

"Do you know how many guys like you, Riles?" She asked.

"Um, one…?"

"Please, I'd need three hands to count everyone."

"What? Yeah right!"

"No, I'm serious. 80 of all the hot guys in band are pretty much in love with you."

"No way!"

"You know what, Ridge? You need to look at yourself in the mirror. You are beautiful! You're thin, you've got huge boobs, blue eyes, and the best hair I've ever seen on a non-celebrity. Not to mention you are the nicest, funniest, sweetest girl I know…you have all these guys coming after you…and that's fine, but you can't lead them on. You can't have your cake and eat it too?" I let it all soak in.

"Wait…why would you have a cake and not eat it?"

"I don't know…just go with it…these guys relly like you and you can flirt and whatever, but if you're gonna kiss random guys, they have to know that it's all in good fun." I looked at my hands.

"I'm sorry." I said, looking up at her.

"Ridge, it's not me you have to worry about." She said. We were silent.

"So, it feels good to get stuff off your chest, doesn't it?" She said in an all-knowing way. I smiled.

"Food!" Matt said, walking up to us. Everyone ducked under the rope and joined the line.

"Yay food!" I saw Evan walking down the street, by himself.

"Hold that thought." I jumped over the rope and chased after him.

"Evan!" I yelled. He turned and looked at me.

"Evan, look, I'm really sorry…" He stopped and looked down at me.

"Riley, I don't know."

"It feels good to get stuff off your chest." I told him, smirking.

"Okay, let's talk." We sat down on a park bench.

"So…Evan…I like you. But, like I said, I really want to keep my options open right now. I mean if I decide that I want to have an orgy in the practice rooms, then I want to be able to do that without my conscience attacking me."

"Well, as long as I'm invited, then I understand your logic…I mean, would you be open to friends with benefits?" He asked.

"Maybe." I said, smirking. He smiled.

"So, I should get going…70s Harrison Ford is calling my name." He told me.

"Wait, where's your group?" I asked.

"Um, I…uh."

"Ev, you know as well as I do that you have to be in a group of at least four." He smiled, sheepishly.

"Come on, you can join our group." We both walked back to the Splash Mountain line.

"Hey guys, is it okay if Evan joins our group?" I asked.

"Yeah, sure." Everyone agreed. I smiled at Lizzie as Nick handed me my food.

"Thanks Posh." I handed him 10 bucks.


End file.
